Australian Progressive Alliance
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Elections and parties in
Australia
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The Australian Progressive Alliance (APA) is a minor liberal party in Australia. The party was formed by Senator Meg Lees, the former leader of the Australian Democrats, in April 2003. Lees is its only Parliamentary representative. She resigned from the Democrats in July 2002 after having been deposed as the party's leader in April 2001.
A number of other prominent former members of the Democrats have joined the APA, including former Queensland Senator John Woodley, who is the party's president, and Elizabeth Kirkby, a former member of the New South Wales Legislative Council.
The APA positions itself as a party of the moderate centre, arguing that the Democrats, under the leadership first of Natasha Stott-Despoja and more recently of Andrew Bartlett, have moved too far to the left. She said in a 2003 interview that the party would appeal to "voters who cannot be dragged to the extremes by the Greens in any enduring way. These are the voters who want more choice in the mainstream, who want to be able to make a positive vote rather than just choose the lesser of several evils."
The party's "guiding principles" are described as:
- To act with integrity, tolerance and compassion.
- To respect the freedom of the individual particularly the freedoms of association, expression and religion.
- To uphold a system of constitutional checks and balances in Government particularly the separation of powers and the rule of law.
- To commit to a socially just, environmentally responsible and economically sustainable Australia, working for a balance between, and the integration of, social needs, the protection and care of Australia’s unique biodiversity and the equitable collection and spending of revenue.
- To work for positive solutions for all Australians and not be controlled by any one particular group in the community.
In practice, Lees has acted in the Senate as an independent, co-operating with two other independent Senators, Brian Harradine and Shayne Murphy. These Senators, together with the One Nation Senator Len Harris, hold the balance of power in the Senate and have been able to bargain with both the major parties on legislation before the Senate.
At the 2004 federal election Lees will be seeking re-election to the Australian Senate. Although opinion polls have shown that the APA has no measurable public support, it is possible that Lees's high profile in South Australia - which she has represented in the Senate since 1990 - will enable her to be re-elected. The party has announced that it will be contesting Senate seats in other states, but its chances of winning other seats are very slight.
See also
